Anyway, I’ll calm myself down long enough to focus on what I want to talk to you guys about. One of my very best friends is getting MARRIED, eek!! I couldn’t be happier and more excited for her and her fiancé. She is absolutely gorgeous and will be a stunning bride right out of a fairytale. I wouldn’t be surprised if her knight in shining armor rode in on a white horse after killing the evil queen and then all the birds and animals in the forest would help sew her dress and do her hair, and everyone will start singing, and they’ll have a perfect wedding and live happily ever after. If you’re completely lost as to what I’m talking about – don’t feel bad. You may just need to brush up on your fairytales/Disney movies a bit. Maybe pick up "Enchanted" from Redbox or Netflix.
But seriously, as she starts planning her wedding, I’ve been flooded with memories from planning my own wedding almost 5 years ago. I was the first one of my friends or siblings to get engaged – so in many ways I felt like I was just making everything up as I went – desperately trying to ‘get through the planning’ and ‘not forget anything’ and ‘not leave anyone out or hurt anyone’s feelings.’ While all those things are important – I think I rushed through some important decisions and wasted too much time on other little things. I wasn’t one of those girls who had my wedding all planned out since I was a little girl – I wish I was. In fact, I literally only attended a handful of weddings before my own – and probably would’ve eloped had I known how much work and stress went into the planning process! Seriously.
And one more thing – I’m pretty sure Pinterest didn’t exist when I got married, which was a major disadvantage. As I’ve written before, I’m a huge Pinterest fan – and the wedding ideas on there are phenomenal. I feel like people who got married pre-Pinterest should be allowed to have a post-Pinterest wedding too because so many more ideas are available now – that sounds fair, right? Haha, but truly – I’m having more fun helping my friend plan her wedding than I had planning mine I think! Can’t wait to throw her a bridal shower and bachelorette party --- and I’m definitely taking advantage of Pinterest for ideas for those.
Now, don’t get me wrong – Pinterest or no Pinterest - I wouldn’t trade my wedding day for anything. And to prove that, I’m going to focus in this post only on things I liked about my wedding. Are there minor details I would change? Maybe. But like so many people told me along the way “At the end of the day you’re married no matter what.” Awwww. J But really, it’s so simple yet true. I think you (or maybe it was just me) get so caught up in the flowers and rings and cake and music, that you sometimes forget the point of it all. So, here are five things I know I wouldn’t change, even if I had gotten married when Pinterest existed.
My hair: I think your wedding day ‘do is one of the scariest things to prepare for --- because unless you do your own hair, you only have so much control over how it turns out. And let’s face it, if it looks terrible there’s not always going to be time to wash it and start over. Sometimes it’s hard to explain to the stylist the exact look you want – and sometimes your hair just won’t cooperate. I brought about 10 magazine pics of hair I liked as well as some high expectations for the stylist to somehow combine those 10 pictures into my dream ‘do. And bless her heart, she completely got what I was going for. I chose to wear my hair partially up, but mostly down. With lots of curls. I loved it.
My wedding colors: I remember when I started telling people I wanted to have pink and orange as my colors – I always got the funniest reaction. Especially from my bridesmaids – “We’re going to wear pink dresses? That’s… SO GREAT!” But when everything came together – my bouquet of bright pink and orange roses, the bridesmaids’ bouquets of pink calla lilies tied with orange ribbon, the watermelon colored bridesmaid dresses and the guys’ matching vests, the guys’ orange rose boutonnieres (I may or may not have had to google that word about 3 times before I spelled it right), the pink bows on the chairs and table runners, pink and orange ribbons on the vases full of fresh, yep you guessed it, pink and orange flowers. My aunt was a complete lifesaver for putting up with me and putting together all my flower arrangements and bouquets. That was truly one of THE nicest things anyone has ever done for me. I was so happy that I didn’t let anyone talk me out of my “weird” color scheme idea, and even happier that it ended up looking better than I had even imagined in the end!
Honeymoon Timing: We chose to wait a few days after our wedding before heading off to Jamaica on our honeymoon. It was tempting to look for a flight the next day or even late that night – and it seems like that’s how it always happens in the movies (I know, I know – I watch too many movies.) This way, we were able to open gifts the next day with our families. And truthfully, we were so incredibly exhausted from wedding preparations and wedding events, that it was a lifesaver to be able to just relax and unwind for a couple of days before hopping on a plane.
Splurging on the photographer: I was a very budget-conscious bride, but our photographer was one of our biggest expenses. I don’t regret this. I agree with all the other brides before me that this is one of the most important decisions you will make when wedding planning – so choose wisely! You do not want to regret having poor quality photos from your wedding.
Going a little over-budget in some areas: I’m married to a financial advisor, so trust me – I know the importance of a budget. Truth is, weddings these days are expensive. You can’t have a party for 350 people without spending a little bit of cash. We did make a budget, and our parents helped us out a TON. We did go over just a little bit in certain areas, but every cent we paid was worth it. Now,
I’m not advocating that people go crazy and max out their credit cards to have an extravagant wedding they can’t afford – I’m just saying that it’s ok to splurge in one or two areas – if you find that perfect dress that’s just a little bit out of your price range or find the perfect location that’s a bit pricey. By cutting costs in other areas, you may find that you can afford a couple splurges.
Now #6 that I think goes without saying, is I wouldn’t change WHO I married, for anything. :) Stay tuned -- in my next post I'll show you some of my favorite wedding pictures. WARNING: There will be lots of pink and orange -- so be prepared. Have a great Tuesday everyone!
xo,
Emily
